


Christmas Hearts

by S0phos



Series: Linked Julie And The Phantoms Fics [5]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Angst, Celebrations, Christmas, Excitement, Family, I'm Sorry, I'm sure it will stay this fluffy the whole time, I'm sure of it, Love, M/M, New Fic, New Year's Eve, Past and Present, Realisation, Rememberance, haha - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:20:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27815224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S0phos/pseuds/S0phos
Summary: The final chord rang out across Times Square and was met by raucous applause. The boys soaked it in. They had always dreamed of a night… of a show like this one and now it was here. They glanced at each other as people all over America praised them. They had done it. Sunset Curve was the most famous band in the country.
Relationships: Luke Patterson/Alex
Series: Linked Julie And The Phantoms Fics [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1989556
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> NEW FIC WEE WOO!!! Get ready for Christmas cuteness and maybe Christmas angst but I promise it's fine okkkkkkkk

**1994**

_Don't look down_  
_'Cause we're still rising_  
_Up right now_  
_And even if we hit the ground_  
_We'll still fly_  
_Keep dreaming like we'll live forever_  
_But live it like it's now or never_  
_It's now or never (now or never)_

The final chord rang out across Times Square and was met by raucous applause. The boys soaked it in. They had always dreamed of a night… of a show like this one and now it was here. They glanced at each other as people all over America praised them. They had done it. Sunset Curve was the most famous band in the country.

Jump to a few hours later. The boys were sat in a private VIP room with a direct view of the Times Square Ball which was eagerly waiting to drop. They had everything they could ever need for the night in this room; that included each other. Currently, Reggie was deep into the snack table, Alex was looking out of the large window down onto the streets packed with people, Luke was sat on the large leather couch fiddling with the tuning of his guitar and Bobby was pouring out four glasses of pepsi which he then passed out to each of the boys.  
“Boys. Tonight deserves a toast.” Bobby stated, “To where we began, what we’ve achieved and what we’re going to do in the future. To Sunset Curve!”  
“ _To Sunset Curve!_ ” the three other boys replied in unison.

Luke couldn’t believe that they were here. This band was his child. He was the one to approach the others and put the idea out there. They all thought he was crazy to think that they could become famous. And yet here they were. His best friends surrounded him. His boyfriend had crashed down beside him and leant his soft blonde hair onto his shoulder. This was it. This was the future for them. Who knew what the next year had in store… whatever it was, it was quickly approaching.

_10, 9, 8..._

The boys placed their drinks down and rushed over to the window.

_7, 6, 5…_

They took each other’s hands.

_4…_

They were going into 1995 together

_3…_

This was going to be their year.

_2…_

The energy in the air was palpable.

_1…_

This energy charged them for what was coming.

_**HAPPY NEW YEAR** _

Celebration, chaos, family: the boys began jumping up and down, hugging and sharing a laugh. Luke pulled Alex to one side and started the year right with a passionate embrace and a kiss. This night was the best of Luke’s life… and then there was a knock at the door. Loud. Continuous. But it wasn’t at the door. It was at the window.

Luke shot up in his small but comfy bed in downtown LA. That dream had certainly been vivid… He was awake now yet the knocking continued at his window. It was almost midnight… Luke dreaded to think who or what this was.


	2. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Shhh Reg, it’s ok. You don’t need to apologise. You’re safe here. You did the right thing.” Luke reassured him as he pulled him in for a hug. He could feel Reggie shaking in his arms. Slowly and carefully, Luke led Reggie over to his bed and sat him down. He grasped the thin linen below him and tried to focus in on his breathing.

“Reggie!?” Luke exclaimed as he pulled up the sliding window and stepped back so that his distraught best friend could climb inside.  
“I’m… I’m sorry I had nowhere to go and this was the first place I thought of and I couldn’t stay there anymore and I felt so unsafe and I…”  
“Shhh Reg, it’s ok. You don’t need to apologise. You’re safe here. You did the right thing.” Luke reassured him as he pulled him in for a hug. He could feel Reggie shaking in his arms. Slowly and carefully, Luke led Reggie over to his bed and sat him down. He grasped the thin linen below him and tried to focus in on his breathing.  
“Feeling a little better?” Luke asked cautiously after a few minutes of the two of them sitting in silence just breathing together.  
“Yeah… I… I think so…” Reggie replied. He let his still slightly shaky body fall into Luke’s arms where they stayed for a while.  
“What was it about this time?” Luke queried.  
“Me.”

Reggie’s parents had been fighting a lot more recently and the topics had moved from things like who was meant to do the dishes to whose fault it was that Reggie was a disappointment. These words were never directed at Reggie and they acted as if he never heard any of them but Reggie wasn’t sure if there had ever been an argument he hadn’t heard. His older siblings had left as soon as they got the chance because they couldn’t bear the fighting either but neither of them considered rescuing Reggie from that hell as well. He felt so alone at home…

But here he didn’t feel alone. Here he was with his best friend who would always protect him no matter what. He confided in Luke more than he confided in Alex because Alex’s family wasn’t exactly functional either and he felt bad putting that extra weight on him but Luke and his family were always here and always willing to listen. This wasn’t the first time this year that Reggie had had to escape; it was the third time in fact. The first time his parents had argued about why the house was such a mess and Reggie had just decided it was better to get out before things escalated. The second time his parents fought about him and his dad lashed out and locked him out the house. This time had been by far the worst. _My parents thought I was a disappointment…_  
“What?” Luke exclaimed, slightly shocked. Reggie had not meant to say that out loud… and he just burst into heavy sobbing.

The sound of crying, no matter the source, was always enough to alarm Emily and as it was coming from her son’s room, she moved quickly along the corridor from her bedroom and along to his. She knocked on the door quietly.  
“Luke? Is… is everything ok?” She had no response but as she continued to listen she picked out two sets of breathing and realised that the sobbing was not her own son. Gently she pushed the door open and unsurprisingly saw Reggie crumpled in Luke’s arms. Luke glanced up and gave a sad smile.  
“Oh Reginald…” Emily sighed before sitting down on the other side of him and placing a hand on his back, “You know you don’t have to sneak into our house. You are welcome here whenever you need… Was it bad?”  
Reggie just gave a shaky nod.  
“Ok… well, you are welcome here for as long as you need… I’ll have to call your parents tomorrow so that they know where you are but you are most welcome to join the Patterson Christmas.” Emily smiled.  
“Mom really? Do you really have to call his parents?”  
“Luke… Even though they’re not getting on at the moment I dread to think how I would feel if you had left and I didn’t know where you had gone…”

Luke wanted to argue but he knew that his mom was right. It’s not like they were gonna come and pick him up… they would be too caught up in fighting to even remember.  
“I’ll leave you two to get Reggie’s bed sorted, you both know where everything is, have a good night.” Emily said and quietly, she turned around and left the room, shutting the door carefully behind her. The two boys were left in silence for a moment. Luke was the first to move as he rose from the bed and moved towards the cupboard in his room where they kept the spare mattress.

The two of them set up Reggie’s makeshift bed in almost complete silence. Luke lent him some old PJs seeing as he didn’t think to take anything from home and after about half an hour, the boys were set up for sleep.  
“Hey Reg…” Luke said quietly from his bed staring up at the ceiling.  
“Yeah?”  
“I know this is exactly the Christmas you wanted or the one that you had planned but we’re gonna make it a good one, ok?”  
“Yeah… thanks Luke…”  
“We’re meant to be meeting Alex tomorrow afternoon once his grandparents have left their place. I’ll bring my acoustic and we can just jam out for a bit and pretend like we’re back to last year when we first came together. When we first found this family.” Luke suggested.  
“That sounds nice… I hope Alex is doing ok. Wasn’t he planning to…”  
“Yes. Yes he was… I’m sure it went ok. He’s ok.” Luke tried to reassure both Reggie and himself. It had been easy for Luke seeing as his family was wonderful and caring and accepting. Alex’s family was very conservative and none of the boys really knew how they would take the news of Alex coming out… But whatever happened with his blood family, he knew his found family would accept him no matter what. And slowly, Luke fell back into the same wonderful dream where they continued to take the world by storm.


	3. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Six Hours Earlier**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY HEY HEY! MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING for unaccepting parents/family. I know it's a rough topic for people and if you want to avoid that, jump to the end notes and I will briefly explain what happened. Even in reading it, I made it as brief as possible but I know that some people want to avoid it completely. Take care of yourselves!

**Six Hours Earlier**

Alex pulled his chair in under the dinner table as his stomach did somersaults inside. He knew that it wasn’t from the hunger but that something inside him was eating him up and that eventually it would consume him if he didn’t get it out. Looking around the table didn’t give him any more confidence. Across the table from him was his younger sister Izzy. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, Isobel was fascinated by her brother and everything he had been doing recently, especially with the band. She wanted to be like Alex when she was older and Alex felt honoured. He did everything he could to make Izzy proud which he knew would make this next conversation ten times worse.

At one head of the table sat his mother. A well put together woman who was hardly seen in anything other than a business suit. Today was no different. Her hair was pulled up into a tight bun with a few wispy strands of hair framing her very stern face. Alex glanced to the other table head where he saw his father. A scary man who was rarely at home but when he was it was probably just best to avoid him. There was a warm heart in there someone and Alex knew and remembered it well, but he hadn’t seen compassion from him in years. Every inch of Alex’s being was tense. He had to do this. It had to be done.  
“Ok,” Alex began, shakily, “I have something to tell you all.” His parents glanced at each other as if to ask only with their eyes whether the other knew if something was going on. Neither of them had any idea. “This is kind of scary to say but… myself and Luke are… dating.”

Silence.

Alex could feel the disappointment swell around the table. He just wanted to disappear at this point. Say it was a joke and never deal with the consequences that were coming his way. His mother was confused at first but fell into shock when she realised that it was the truth. His father on the other hand was just angry from the get go.  
“You can do that?” Isobel asked curiously.  
“Alex, go to your room.” his father stated.  
“Dad I…”  
“Go. Now.”

The only awkward sound that could be heard was the screech of Alex’s chair against the polished floor and his fast footsteps moving along the corridor and up the stairs. He entered his room and collapsed onto his bed. He knew what was going to come next and he didn’t want to think about it. After a few minutes, he heard footsteps. Heavy, loud, intimidating: his father was heading up the stairs and to his room.

The next period of time was a blur but Alex knew that it hurt. His heart ached and his mind was filled with self doubt. Tomorrow was Christmas. A time that was meant to be filled with joy, kindness and love for family. Alex didn’t feel any of these things. He felt alone and he felt scared. He reached over to his bedside table and grabbed a small picture frame. Within he saw himself, Isobel and his found family: Luke and Reggie. These boys were home to him. He loved them both so much. He wanted to be with them. On the road with them. On stage with them. 

That was it. The moment he was able to leave, he was going to. He was going to get as far away from here as he could and he was going to be happy with his friends. He just had to make it a little bit longer with this famil… with this group of people. But Isobel. He didn’t want to lose her. She was so innocent and brave and kind and genuine and the thought of losing her hurt. Was it the best for her? Yes. It was. If Alex left, it would be that Izzy wouldn’t have to hear any of the horrible things his mother or father would most likely say to him the future. This was it. He was going to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you skipped this chapter: Essentially, Alex came out to his mother, father and sister Izzy. His parents were not accepting and (in subtext because I didn't want to go into detail) told him that it was not ok. It's nothing vital to the plot line, it's more just to set up the last memories of Christmas in the 90s for all the boys. I love you all and take care of yourselves <3


	4. A Splash Of Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Groggily, Reggie rose from his mattress and began getting himself ready and before they knew it, the both of them were downstairs in the living room each with their preferred warm drink in hand, courtesy of Mitch. The two boys sat next to each other on the couch and the difference in their posture was very much visible. Luke was sitting cross legged with a large puffy pillow on his lap whereas Reggie was perched on the edge, not wanting to disturb Emily’s neat arrangement of pillows and throw blankets. The two of them shared in awkward conversation for a while whilst Mitch and Emily were organising things in the kitchen and around the small tree but eventually they too sat down in their armchairs and the festivities could begin.

Reggie was awoken by the streak of sunlight that pushed through a crack in the curtains that neither of them had thought to fix the night prior. He reached up and rubbed his eyes lazily before rolling over and out of the streak of light. In doing this, Reggie quickly realised that Luke was already awake and was sitting on his bed with his music book, pondering over lyrics and melodies.  
“Merry Christmas.” Reggie whispered, still unaware of what time it actually was. Luke glanced up and chuckled.  
“Merry Christmas to you too, bed head… Get up, we got a fun day to celebrate.”

Groggily, Reggie rose from his mattress and began getting himself ready and before they knew it, the both of them were downstairs in the living room each with their preferred warm drink in hand, courtesy of Mitch. The two boys sat next to each other on the couch and the difference in their posture was very much visible. Luke was sitting cross legged with a large puffy pillow on his lap whereas Reggie was perched on the edge, not wanting to disturb Emily’s neat arrangement of pillows and throw blankets. The two of them shared in awkward conversation for a while whilst Mitch and Emily were organising things in the kitchen and around the small tree but eventually they too sat down in their armchairs and the festivities could begin.

“Where shall we start…” Mitch asked himself, “How about you Reggie?”  
“Hm? Me? What about me?”  
“Well,” Emily explained warmly, “We didn’t have much warning of you being here but we managed to scramble something together since… well… you know. Yours is the red one.”  
Reggie glanced over to the tree to see a small red package wrapped up tightly with silver ribbon. Nervously, he looked towards Luke as if searching for approval and once he was given the small nod filled with love and encouragement, he rose and walked over to the tree where he retrieved the parcel. Carefully, he pulled the ribbon loose and released the tape that was clasping the paper together. Within was a pitch black leather bass strap, wound up neatly into a small pile. Reggie was overjoyed: he never normally received presents let alone anything of good quality.  
“I… Thank you Mr and Mrs Patterson… This really means the world to me.”  
“You’re more than welcome Reggie. Merry Christmas my dear.”  
“And please kiddo, it’s Mitch and Emily to you, ok?”  
“Yeah… ok…” Reggie replied awkwardly. He was so grateful to have something like this for Christmas and yet something about it felt so wrong. This wasn’t his home. Every other kid was spending their Christmas with their family and for most people that meant their parents and kids. Why was Reggie different? Why did he have to deal with the suffering that others could easily avoid? It felt so wrong and yet it was his life. And now someone was offering their home to him which he felt he could not accept. He felt so out of place. Just… drifting.

“Ok!” Mitch cried, “Your turn Luke!” At this point Mitch got up himself and moved over to the door beside the tree and revealed a rather large gift wrapped in a shiny blue paper. Mitch picked it up carefully and placed it in front of Luke who had no idea what to expect. Normally his family couldn’t buy him anything too large but he was always grateful. Like Reggie, he carefully began to peel back the paper, as not to ruin anything that may be inside. He was greeted by a cardboard box. Confused, he shot a glance at his parents who waited expectantly so he continued and pulled out the lid of the cardboard box.

The shine of reflection from the lights blinded Luke for a moment but when he recovered just a few moments later he was greeted with a thing of beauty. A guitar… the body was a deep blue, the colour of the ocean with tints of an emerald green hashed throughout. The neck was a pale brown with a glossy sheen and the strings were tight and just itching to be played. It was stunning and Luke was speechless.  
“Do you like it?” Emily asked hopefully.  
“Y… yeah… It’s incredible… mom, dad, this is amazing…”  
“We’re very glad. Now, school comes first of course but I hope this proves to be useful for the band.”  
“Yeah, of course. Thank you, really… you have no idea how much this means to me…”

Reggie and Luke shared a look. All their parents hadn’t really minded about the formation of the band and so far, the Patterson’s had been the most supportive. This was a huge step for them. None of the boys really wanted to be in school. They wanted to commit their time to the band and their music, not science and random maths formulas they’d never use again. On the other hand, their parents had different plans. Whilst all of them were happy that their kids had a wonderful hobby, they all feared the drop off point. The moment where they would lose their motivation at school and drop out. All the boys thought this was a stupid fear that their parents had. If they were doing what they loved, then why did it matter. The boys had found their passion.

The rest of the day was a treat. The Pattersons provided an incredible meal that left Reggie full to the brim and just the feeling of getting to spend time with people that gave him warmth and comfort felt wonderful. Again awkward and slightly wrong, but still wonderful. As the night came to an end, Reg went to grab his bag and the two boys exited the house and let themselves bathe in the Californian sunset outside. Golds, reds, oranges and yellows danced across their faces and cast their shadows to the floor. Out in the wild, free with the wind, safe in the sunset. This was home.


	5. "Family"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The actual Christmas celebrations were not as entertaining to Alex as they were to Izzy. The whole family was here and even though a good portion of them didn’t know about last night’s conversation he felt like everyone was looking at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for unaccepting family. Again nothing really happens in this chapter but I'm giving people the option to avoid it if they so choose. It's not as obvious as it was in the other chapter but I just wanted to make y'all aware! <3

Christmas day was a weird one for Alex… Normally there was a buzz in the house that emanated from the whole family but today felt wrong and Alex knew exactly why. He woke up tired, frustrated and upset but tried to put that behind him as he got changed into his same old pink champion hoodie and black skinny jeans. At least they gave him some kind of comfort.

The other thing that gave him comfort was his sister. She came whizzing into the room at a high speed and began jumping up and down on his bed like the tiny bundle of energy she was. She danced and pranced and jumped and beamed down on Alex, screaming wildly, until she finally collapsed down onto the bed next to where he was sitting.  
“MERRY CHRISTMAS!” she screamed, now clearly out of breath. Alex tackled her onto the bed into a hug where he chuckled as he whispered to her.  
“Merry Christmas kiddo… You’re excited I take it?”  
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! YES!!!!” she replied in pure glee, “You don’t seem excited? Why aren’t you excited? Is it because of last night?”   
Alex smiled sadly to himself. Credit where credit was due: Isobel was smart for her age.  
“Um, yeah… yeah it is... But it’s ok. I’m ok. Let’s have a fun christmas yeah?”  
“Yeah! I love you dumber boy...” Isobel said softly.  
“I love you too dork.” Alex replied, holding back tears.

The actual Christmas celebrations were not as entertaining to Alex as they were to Izzy. The whole family was here and even though a good portion of them didn’t know about last night’s conversation he felt like everyone was looking at him. He shrunk into a corner and only interacted when he needed to, which was minimal. His grandparents made the usual small talk and Alex was polite about it but the constant wariness that his father had about him was nerve wracking to say the least. He had hid it from his family for long enough, surely he could hide it from extended family for another day.

“Merry Christmas Alex.” His mother said sweetly as she handed him his gift very very awkwardly. Alex peeled back the paper slowly with no real idea as to what could be inside. He was not expecting the small golden chain that was wrapped up carefully in a layer of tissue.  
“Woah… this is awesome, thanks everyone…” Alex said, speechless.

He didn’t know how to react in this situation. On one hand, the present was so wonderful and Alex felt so grateful but on the other he felt broken. He was given a gift by his family but he didn’t feel as if it belonged to him. It belonged to their son.


	6. Family?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wasn’t he gonna tell his parents last night.” Luke asked nervously.  
> “Yeah. Yeah he was. I’m sure it went fine, Luke…” Reggie tried to reassure. Thankfully he didn’t need to be reassured for long as a figure came running along the beach, out of breath and looking very shaky.  
> “ALEX!” Luke shouted. He bolted in his direction and grappled him into a tight hug where they both just collapsed onto the sand. Sobbing. Reggie quickly rushed over to them and joined the hug. There they stayed for a solid 20 minutes, just enjoying each other’s company. They all needed this more than anything.

It was late. They were worried. Alex was supposed to be here two hours ago. Where was he? Reggie was bouncing his knee up and down wildly as he sat on his usual tree stump meanwhile Luke was pacing, kicking up sand as he went.  
“I’m sure he’ll be here soon Luke…”  
“Yeah… Yeah… I’m sure…”

There was a pause.

“Wasn’t he gonna tell his parents last night.” Luke asked nervously.  
“Yeah. Yeah he was. I’m sure it went fine, Luke…” Reggie tried to reassure. Thankfully he didn’t need to be reassured for long as a figure came running along the beach, out of breath and looking very shaky.  
“ALEX!” Luke shouted. He bolted in his direction and grappled him into a tight hug where they both just collapsed onto the sand. Sobbing. Reggie quickly rushed over to them and joined the hug. There they stayed for a solid 20 minutes, just enjoying each other’s company. They all needed this more than anything.

Eventually, Luke and Reggie were able to lead Alex back to their normal hang out where he explained everything. The coming out, the reaction, the night, his sister, the day’s events… The only detail he omitted was the chain; even Alex himself didn’t know how to feel about it. Reggie and Luke both sat patiently and listened to their best friend cry and vent and even shout at some points. Where appropriate, they would reach forward and place a caring hand on him and at other moments they would keep to themselves and let Alex scream to the heavens above. This had been the worst few days of his life and he genuinely didn’t know what to do next. 

“I think I’m gonna crash at the studio for a couple days…” he finally admitted.  
“What?” Luke said, clearly concerned, “No man, come stay at mine. My parents won’t care. Both of you have stayed before, it’s not an issue.”  
“No, I don’t want to intrude… wait, both of us? Reg are you ok?” Alex asked quickly.  
“Oh! Yeah. I’m… fineeee. Life is a little rough at the moment but I’m sure mom and dad will figure it out.”  
“Reg… I’m sorry man. You don’t deserve any of this.”  
“Neither do you..”

As the emotional talk faded away, Luke and Reggie picked up the guitars they had bought with them and started a jam session to get their mind off of things. They were currently working on a new song called “Bright”. It was a cheery tune filled with emotions and soul. It felt a little ahead of its time but they were sure that people would love it.

After a solid hour of workshopping the boys ended up just playing some random melodies as they chatted.  
“Thanks for spending Christmas with me guys, even if it was just the end of it…”  
“OH SHOOT! IT’S CHRISTMAS.” Reggie yelled.  
“Yes it is Reggie. Remember the gift you got this morning?” Luke said, sighing.  
“I’ll be right back!” Reggie cried, scrambling to his feet and stumbling over the sand as he ran down the beach towards where the group of them had left their stuff. Alex and Luke were left alone as the sun dipped below the horizon.  
“I’m really sorry about everything going on Alex… I promise we’re gonna work all of this out.”  
“Hey, it’s alright…” Alex sighed, “Y’know I was kind of expecting it. Mr and Mrs Mercer are very particular about what they like and what they don’t.”  
Luke shuffled over to his side and leant his head onto his shoulder.  
“Well, I’m afraid you’re not getting rid of me”  
“And you’re not getting rid of me.”

The cute moment quickly dissipated as Reggie came fumbling across the golden powder. He skidded down next to them before he had a chance to feel the _emotions_ in the air.  
“I’m back, I’m back, I’m… oh… Did I interrupt something?”  
Both Alex and Luke chuckled before Alex replied, “No no no, you’re good. What was with the quick sprint? You training for something?”  
“Noooooo… I got things!” Reggie exclaimed excitedly as he dug his hands into his rucksack. From within he produced 3 small packages, two of which looked much better than the third. He passed the two well presented ones to Alex and Luke and kept the other for himself.

The one with Alex’s name on it was a long, slender, dark grey box with a bright red ribbon wrapped around it. After carefully pulling the ribbon away and opening the box, he saw a beautiful set of drumsticks. They were the classic pale brown that most stick sets were but on the side in a dark brown that was edging on black was an engraving.

Luke’s box was smaller and more square but was the same dark black wrapped with the same red ribbon. As he pulled the lid away and removed the small amount of tissue protecting whatever was inside, he discovered a guitar pick. It was a smooth, cold metal that was reminiscent of ash. He flipped it over and was surprised to see black lettering, carving out an engraving.

Reggie knew what was in his box but he wanted to unwrap it anyway. He pulled open the lid of the black box to reveal a small golden bracelet. It glinted in the moonlight and it too had a slightly darker section. In this reincarnation it was a tarnished bronze colour. An engraving.

_Sunset Curve._

“Reg…” Alex and Luke said simultaneously, breathless. They both knew that Reggie didn’t have the funds for any of this.  
“They’re stunning,” Alex continued as he pulled the sticks out of their slot, “You didn’t have…”  
“Yes I did. And I wanted to. You guys deserve it.” Reggie reassured.  
“Merry Christmas you guys.”  
“Merry Christmas.”  
“Merry Christmas.”


	7. Twenty Five Years Late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **December 24th, 2020 - 11AM**  
>  The Molina household was covered in reds, silvers, golds and greens that made the entire home feel like Santa’s Grotto - and they still weren’t done. Like excitable elves, Carlos and Julie were hurrying around moving tiny christmas trees and replacing batteries in lights. They wanted this Christmas to be perfect.

**December 24th, 2020 - 11AM**  
The Molina household was covered in reds, silvers, golds and greens that made the entire home feel like Santa’s Grotto - and they still weren’t done. Like excitable elves, Carlos and Julie were hurrying around moving tiny christmas trees and replacing batteries in lights. They wanted this Christmas to be perfect.

Once they had finished, the kitchen and living room radiated with the christmas vibe. The large tree in the corner was strung with bright lights and baubles that glittered with a silvery shine. Beneath it, a large pile of gifts was beginning to grow and excite Carlos (to the point where Julie was having to practically drag him away from gifts that belonged to him). The small throw pillows on the couch that were normally a dark yellow were now a shimmering gold to match the small golden candles on the table. It felt perfect.

One Ray Molina came hurrying down the stairs with the last few presents in his hands which he began to scatter carefully around the tree.  
“Hey Jules?”  
“Yeah dad?”  
“Are the boys here? I want them to be a part of all of this too.”  
“Oh! Ummm…. They’re not here at the moment but I can go get them if you like.” Julie offered.  
“Yeah!” Carlos screamed with glee.  
“Yes!” Ray responded, “That would be great! I’d love to know how I can make this Christmas more… ghost friendly.” Julie laughed happily before turning on her heels in her large dino slippers and heading out into the garage.

Knowing that it was Christmas Eve, Julie was expecting to open the garage and be greeted by the boys trying to make it festive in their own special way but that really wasn’t the case. Instead, she saw all three of them doing their own little thing, not really feeling the christmas spirit in any way shape or form. Alex was passed out cold on the couch, Reggie was plucking out random notes on his bass and Luke was pondering over thoughts in his song book. It was kind of reminiscent of when Julie saw the boys losing hope towards the end of Caleb’s curse… and that hurt.  
“Hey? What’s going on here?” Julie said, in a slight whisper as not to wake Alex who everyone knew got very angry when he was woken up. The two boys who were both awake glanced up and smiled at Julie. They were genuine but they were not the smiles of people who were getting to experience Christmas for the first time in 25 years.  
“Nothing much…” Luke replied.  
“Yeah, since Flynn hasn’t gotten us any new gigs coming up, there’s not much for us to be doing around here.” Reggie added.  
“We haven’t got any new gigs because it’s Christmas! It’s meant to be about spending time with family, giving gifts and having fun. You guys are my family too y’know, where’s your Christmas spirit!!!” Julie squealed. This squeal was unfortunately enough to wake Alex from his peaceful slumber, although as he woke it was clear that it wasn't that peaceful. He was screaming when he woke.  
“No! Leave me alone! Leave her alone! Oh… um…. Oh… sorry.”  
“Alex?” Reggie rushed over to Alex, concerned.  
“I’m ok… it’s fine.. I’m fine…”  
“It doesn’t sound like it…” Julie stated, “Look, why don’t you come inside and help me pick some decorations that we can put up in here to make it feel a little more festive.”  
The boys shared a glance.  
“We appreciate the offer, Jules,” Luke began, “But… the last Christmas we had before the Orpheum was… rough. And Christmas doesn’t really have that same vibe anymore.”  
Julie immediately felt awful for the way she had come in all excited for Christmas. Each one of the boys had at least shared part of their stories with her and she knew that none of them had happy endings so Christmas probably wasn’t that happy either…  
“Oh guys, I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to remind you of anything or… or..”  
“Jules it’s ok,” Alex said sadly, “We’ll still celebrate it, it’s just a bit of a sore spot so the less we talk about it, the better.”  
“Right… ok. I’m gonna leave you guys be… again, I’m really sorry…”  
“No need to be sorry Julie,” Reggie reassured her but she just nodded and left.

“Alex are you ok?” Luke asked, turning his attention back to his still clearly shaken friend.  
“Yeah. It was just… It being Christmas brings it all back, y’know.”  
“Yeah… I get that.” Luke replied, glancing towards his dark blue guitar.  
“Guys… I know how much this hurts. I feel it too. But we can’t dwell on it forever. They’ve grown up now. The Molinas are our family. And they’re not going to hurt us the way our previous families did.”  
All of them knew that Ray, Carlos and Julie loved them like family but it still felt wrong intruding on _their_ Christmas when the last Christmases that the boys remembered were ones filled with anguish and hurt. They wanted to move on and be happy with the second chance they had been given in such a new and accepting future, but it felt so wrong.

Julie re-entered the house with her head down and her soft slippers dragging against the tiles.  
“OH!” Carlos cried as she re-entered, “Are they here!? Ok, Reggie, what do you think of the Santas… and… and… Luke! Do you like the tree? And Alex, what do you think of the present arrangements?”  
“They’re not here Carlos.”  
“What do you mean, they’re not here?” Ray asked as he emerged from around the corner.  
“They’re still in the garage. Christmas is kind of a rough patch for them. They all had a pretty hard Christmas the year before they passed away and it’s the last thing they remember. And they are remembering it all… a lot.”  
The two boys took all this information in, struggling to imagine how this might feel for them. Carlos, being the legend that he was, thought for a moment and then smiled cheekily.  
“Then let’s make this the best Christmas ever.”


End file.
